Virgin Piña Colada

Why this is the hardest classic to strip

Rum cuts the fat of the coconut and stops the drink reading as dessert. Without it, cream of coconut takes over and you get a milkshake in a hurricane glass. The correction is acid and salt: lime at 15 ml, double what most recipes print, plus a pinch of salt.

Measures in ml and oz

Add 8 ml of syrup for the frozen build, 5 ml on the rocks, which wants more juice and less coconut.

Technique: liquids first, ice in bursts

Cream of coconut separates in the tin, so knead it uniform before measuring. Put the juice, coconut, lime and syrup in the blender first, then the ice, and blend in four short bursts of five seconds: long blending melts the ice and leaves a cold soup.

Body without the rum

The weight comes from fat, so keep it in suspension and stop it coating the mouth. A pinch of salt does that, and swapping 15 ml of coconut milk for a 0,0 % coconut spirit alternative adds a faint prickle. Top with soda for a drier glass.

Common mistakes and repairs

• Tin not stirred. Cream of coconut sets at room temperature, so knead it first.
• Too thick. Add 30 ml of pineapple juice and re-blend for two seconds.
• Tastes like dessert. Add lime and a pinch of salt, and cut the syrup.

Variations with a name

• Frozen mango colada — 60 g of mango replaces half the pineapple.
• Coconut cooler — the rocks build topped with soda and a mint sprig.
• Piña Verde sin alcohol — 15 ml of the juice swapped for green tea: drier.

Virgin Piña Colada FAQ

What replaces the rum in a Piña Colada?

Nothing has to taste of rum: it is missed for its bite, not its flavour, so lime, salt and carbonation close most of the gap.

Cream of coconut or coconut milk?

Both. Cream of coconut is sweetened and gives body; coconut milk is unsweetened and gives freshness. All cream of coconut makes it cloying.

Can I make it without a blender?

Yes. Shake hard for fifteen seconds with cubed ice and strain over crushed ice: lighter, less opaque, and it may want more coconut milk.